Tube float tours are closed for the season.
Beat the summer heat with an afternoon of river tubing at Ausable Chasm in the Adirondacks. We provide tubes and life jackets, so you can hop in and float down the river at your own pace. Rafts and tubes start and finish at the same locations, making it easy for groups to choose different activities and still stay together. River tubing takes slightly longer than rafting, so guests waiting for rafters can wait near the take-out or plan to meet back at the Welcome Center. Guests who are under 18 years old must be accompanied by a parent or guardian while river tubing.
Tubing in the chasm is a "FLOAT" experience through the lower chasm following a one-mile walk through the upper chasm. Tubing guests may have to portage around a small section of rapids midway through the float during certain river levels. Since 2014, and mostly a result of Hurricane Irene, we are no longer able to tube through the rapids channel due to the destruction of the canal in that area. Depending on natural river flow and winds, guests may be required to use their arms/hands to move along the river. Helmet use is no longer required, the shoe requirement remains.
DISCLAIMER: YOU WILL GET WET WHILE TUBING! Lockers are not available at the tubing start location, so please plan accordingly. You'll want to leave the Welcome Center (one mile walk from tubing start location) ready to get wet and have fun! Proper footwear required, and closed-toe shoes are strongly recommended (water shoes, sneakers you don't mind getting wet, or sandals with heel strap at a minimum). Sorry, absolutely no flip flops allowed, and shirts must be worn at all times. If you arrive without proper footwear, you can buy water shoes in our gift shop for $12.95 - $14.95.
Now you can raft or tube as many times as you like with our discounted second trip option. After taking a raft tour or river tube ride at the regular rate, we invite you to go again for just $10 per trip. That’s more than 65% off each additional adult trip! This is a perfect option for guests that want to take enjoy the raft float tour and also go tubing.
The float tours are very popular during summer. Please arrive as early in the day as possible to avoid a possible wait for a float tour. We cannot take reservations, so you may encounter a wait of 60 minutes or more after 12pm, daily. We feel the experience is worth the wait, but please arrive early (before 11am) if you don’t have ample time.
Tubing is typically available during the summer months (late June through Labor Day). Guests must be good swimmers, at least 48" tall, and weigh 250 pounds or less (guests will be weighed and measured for safety). These minimum requirements may change based on river level, and are strictly enforced. For guests outside the limits, the raft float tour is a great option that follows along the same portion of the river as the tube float tour. Ausable Chasm is a very dynamic environment with the unpredictable weather and the changing of the river level. This means that tubing is available weather/river permitting. While most seasons we are able to operate near 100% of days, heavy rains in the watershed can cause sudden increases in river volume that may require increased restrictions or cancellations.
In the event of severe thunderstorms, we will pause operations until the storms pass and then resume operations as soon as it is safe to do so.
